I've Never Owned A Rat, Are Males Or Females Better To Own?

Question

I've Never Had A Rat Before So What Would Be Better? A Male Rat Or A Female Rat? I've Heard That Males Are Generally Better But Smell And Have Heard That Females Are Hyperactive And get Cancer All The Time..Please Help Me!

Answer 1

I am so happy you are thinking about getting a rat. I have six right now but have had many in the past. Not one sex is better then the other, it all depends on what you are looking for in a rat.

Males: They get a bit larger then females and generally weigh in at 1 pound. They are a little lazier then the girls but not in a bad way. They enjoy time out of their cage but have the most fun sitting on your lap when you are watching T.V. They are just big cuddle bugs.

Females: They are smaller and sleeker then the males. They love to run around your room, play on an exercise wheel, and learn tricks. They also think it's fun to ride around your house on your shoulder.

Remember rats need company to stay happy. Females need company of other rats a little more then males. Males are a little harder to keep together as they are more territorial. Also all rats are prone to cancer and tumors. They have an average lifespan of only 3 to 4 years old. Good Luck!

Answer 2

Males are very lazy and females love to run and explore. If you prefer watching your rats play, get a female. if you want a lap companion, get a male. I actually prefer the females because they're fun to watch. The down side is that females do get a lot of tumors though in all the cases I've had only Two were actively cancerous. They're annoying and if they get too big they should be removed by a vet.

I also find that in large numbers rats do smell but not as bad as mice. If you have two rats and clean their cage every 5-7 days you should be okay. Use vinegar cut with water to clean their cage to remove the smell of ammonia. I find males and females smell just as bad. Ideally rats should not stink and neither should their cage. If they do (and because I have over 20 animals in my home of feathered and furred types), the cage needs to be cleaned more often. Also, the larger the cage, the less of a stink they make.

Hope that helps :-)

Answer 3

I own both males and females and I must say I enjoy both very much, but I would side with females. Female rats are spunky and hyper when they are young, they play crazy and will play with your hands and chase you around if they really trust you. Getting either gender at a young age from anywhere is recommended. I get all of my rats at 8 weeks or younger so they will bond with you faster and trust you more then an adult would. Females can live in larger packs with very little fighting while I find males to be kept in pairs of two only, unless they are siblings. Male rats really do have a worse odor then females. They tend to smell bad while my ratty girls always smell clean and good. Males also have large balls, like, really large. I don't mind it, but for many of my friends they find it gross so I'm not sure about your take on that. Males are much more mellow then females, but I more enjoy my hyper little girls that chase me around while I walk or will tackle my hand if I wiggle my fingers at them ( No biting just nibbling and allot of little cute kicks that don't hurt ) It all depends on if you'd rather have a cuddly rat and quiet mellow boys or hyper playfull little girls. In addition, my oldest rat I own, Delilah is 2 years old and she is THE sweetest thing. They become so darn sweet when they are old and she basically lives on my bed 24 hours. She never leaves my bed and sleeps on it overnight. She's a angel.

Answer 4

What gender rat makes the best pet? That is entirely up to each individual person. Male rats tend to be very mellow and more then happy to curl up in your lap for a good, long nap. Male rats are larger then females, and they also tend to have a stronger odor. Male rats also have the tendency to "scent mark" their territory to let other rats know they've been there. On the other hand, females are more adventurous and less cuddly. They tend to be smaller and do not have much of an oder. Some females "scent mark" things, but is it less common. Along with both genders, there can be various health issues.

Answer 5

I have owned rats for three years now...We've gone from 4 to 60 back down to 15. We have both boys and girls...I found with the rats that we have the boys are much more calm, the girls are calm as well they just like to explore more. They don't actually smell that bad, it's the cages that smell and the boys' cages smell worse. It's a tough decision, I suggest girls based on cleanliness (cage smell). But, whatever you decide make sure you get two of the same sex. They do better when they have a buddy...Good luck, and enjoy...they are probably the best pet besides a dog as far as companionship!!

Answer 6

males are more likely to settle for a cuddle and respond to affection better. they don't live as long as females though. they also have a habit much like dogs of marking their scent everywhere they go they do not smell, both male and female rats are in fact very very clean.
what plank told you females are prone to cancer? i've never heard of that before! females are just a loving and will outlive a male, but are much more lively and don't mark their scent.
so its just a question of if you want something more lively or not.
I've kept both for years and find rats 1000 times better than owning a hamster or a gerbil.
they NEVER bite unless they have been badly handled, can be toilet trained, are happy to fall asleep on your lap, shoulder or wherever on you they can snuggle up warm, you can also name train a rat and they are committed to their owner, they are lovely friendly and clean little fellows!

Answer 7

all rats get cancer. I have always had males in the last few years as I found females a little more hormonal and bad tempered occasionally and more inclined to bite. Males won't smell if you keep their cage clean. You have to remove the bedding (they p1ss the bed) every week and give them fresh and wash down the cage with soap and water. I also would not get a single rat as they like company. Get 2 brothers at the same time and a very large cage with plenty of things to do inside it. I have a flowerpot filled with shredded paper into which I chuck some raisins for them to search for, also tubes to run along, things made of wood to chew etc.

Answer 8

Yes, males do tend to be more popular in our petshop.
Also we tend not to sell rats singularly, we sell them in pairs. Rats need to have companions of there own species too.

And as i answered to another question rats of any sex are very prone to cancer, just like mice. Most people end up spending money on an operation when many of the rats cant handle it.

Weather or not they smell is up to personal oppinion. I have lived with many animals and are used to it now. But if the cage and animals are kept clean, there shold not be too much of a problem.

Rats make GREAT pets. And are very sociable. Good luck!
Lydia
xxx

Answer 9

I've always owned females, because the males do stink. I don't remember mine being hyper...they did die, but of cancer? Don't know. Problem with females is if you get them out of a general population tank at the local pet store, ou might get one that is pregnant. I had one that brought home babies. Lost them all, because I don't know how to take care of baby rats! Plus, the other female in the cage didn't like the new babies, had to seperate her.

Answer 10

I cared for two female rats for just over 2 years. They were absolutely lovely, very friendly and easily trained. I prefer females to males as the males bits are very noticeable! Both are prone to cancer. One of mine had 3 operations to remove tumours and they were put to sleep with 4 tumours between them. Would do it all again but have cats now!!! (by the way, quite expensive to keep, fresh bedding, fresh food, complete food, toys and cages. Spent about £4000 over 2.5years) Oh, and i would recommend getting two to keep each other company. Very sociable creatures. Good Luck!!